Rabbi Janine's Messages

Dear Community, 

It’s the week of Thanksgiving and this American holiday is a time when we typically focus on family and sometimes, the difficult family dynamics that come with getting together. So in honor of the holiday, let’s focus on one of the most well known (and bitter) family feuds of the Torah, the story of Jacob, his uncle Laban, and the sisters Rachel and Leah. 

In this week’s Torah portion Vayeitzei, our patriarch Jacob leaves his home after tricking his father Isaac into giving him Esau’s birthright. Following his mother Rebecca’s recommendation, Jacob leaves home and heads to Haran. Rebecca recommends Haran for two reasons: to save Jacob’s life from an angry Esau, and for Jacob to find a suitable wife. When Jacob arrives in Haran he meets his Uncle Laban and falls in love with Rachel, Laban’s daughter. Laban agrees to let Jacob marry Rachel, but only if he will work for Laban for seven years in exchange. A smitten Jacob takes the deal, however on the wedding night, Laban tricks Jacob into marrying Rachel’s older sister, Leah, instead. In order to marry Rachel, Jacob is then forced to work for Laban another seven years. 

The Torah portrays Rachel and Leah as foils, characters who are the opposite of each other in order to highlight different qualities. Rachel is beautiful, so we must assume Leah is not. Leah is able to conceive many sons, and so Rachel is barren and grief-stricken over it. Rachel is loved by Jacob, so Leah feels neglected. We can see a dynamic that feels all too human and also leaves us feeling sorry for both sisters. 

But, there is a midrash offering an alternative to this traditional interpretation of sister pitted against sister. Midrash allows the rabbis to expand on the stories of our Torah, to fill in the blanks of the text, and ultimately to teach lessons. According to the midrash, on that fateful night when Rachel is to marry Jacob, Rachel suspects her father Laban intends to switch her with Leah. In order to outwit her father, Rachel arranges signs for Jacob by which he can recognize her at the wedding. However, Rachel realizes that if she outwits her father, this would cause Leah a great deal of embarrassment and hurt. Rachel then teaches Leah the signs so that she could marry Jacob without being discovered. 

Among the many stories in the Torah of family members deceiving one another, here we have a rabbinic reimagination of the love between two sisters. Instead of remaining locked in jealousy over their desire for Jacob, they come together in the final hour before the wedding. Here midrash as a genre really shines, painting a new picture on the age-old story, bringing a depth of new understanding to how we can view the stories of these flawed, but ultimately human characters. 

What other stories of conflict might be reimagined?  

I wish you and your family a wonderful Shabbat. I look forward to seeing you next week for Shabbat services on December 5th at 7 p.m. and December 6th at 10 a.m.

Shabbat Shalom, 
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Rabbi Janine Jankovitz 
she/her